


Sparks Fly

by SweetSouthernCharm



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-03-25 13:23:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3812113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetSouthernCharm/pseuds/SweetSouthernCharm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were the couple that shouldn't have been. It was a secret relationship that was hidden from all those around them. When she needed him the most, he left. Now that they are both back in town for Claire's brothers wedding it's only a matter of time for these two to come crashing back together. Clint/OC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here is a new story of mine! I hope you enjoy! I only own my own characters and unfortunately not Marvel.

Chapter One

They were the couple that shouldn't have been. It was a secret relationship that was hidden from all those around them. When she needed him the most, he left. Now that they are both back in town for Claire's brothers wedding it's only a matter of time for these two to come crashing back together. Clint/OC

For many others, the day was just as beautiful as the rest. The sun was shining brightly in the sky. Not a cloud was to be seen. The only noises were the occasional bird chirping. Claire did not want to be back here. Never in a million years had she wanted to be in her hometown again. She had left the town of Waverly, and now here she was. As she drove past the welcome sign, it felt like a haunting memory in her head brought back to life. This town brought out too many emotions to her and brought back too many memories, if she could turn around she would but there was no turning back now. She had fallen into the trap that was set out for her. 

But how was she to miss her own brothers wedding. 

He just had to have it in the town she fought so desperately to get out of. Driving down the main road in the town was like the back of her hand, she knew the in’s and out of every aspect of Waverly, the good and the bad. Claire took a deep breath. It wasn't much longer until she would be in the safety of her home and out of the public. It was a lesser chance of running into him. Though she knew that him and her brother Tucker were best friends. They had been for the longest time. Their mother had taken him and his elder brother in for a short period of time before they went off to join the circus. Claire had tried to talk him out of it but it didn't work. Once he returned, that is when the trouble started. He was no longer the friend of Tucker’s that she remembered, and to him she was no longer the geeky little sister. Looking back now, Claire knew that she shouldn't have done what she did. It was too late now. 

It didn't take her long to get through the center of town and make her way towards her own home. As she pulled into the driveway, a feeling of happiness washed over her. It was an odd feeling, too many things had happened to her in the past here, and for her to be happy about being home was an odd sensation. She parked her black rental car in her drive way and opened the door. Claire carefully got out of the car before closing the door. For several moments, she simply stood there, staring at her childhood home. It hadn't changed a single bit since she had left. The house was painted blue, as it always had been. The front white porch wrapped around the entire home. Claire remembered spending many nights sitting on the swing glancing out at the stars. 

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards her old home, up the three steps that took her to the front door. Claire knelt down and lifted up the corner of the front door mat. It revealed a small golden key. She shook her head, some things never changed. Her hand reached for the key and she stood up to her full, short height before placing the key into the lock and turning it. The door pushed open and she placed the key back in its proper position. The inside of the home was exactly how it had been. The entry way had the staircase that led upstairs, and a closet that had all of their coats and shoes. To the left was the living room and to the right was the dining room. Claire took a right and it led her to the dining room and eventually the kitchen. As Claire opened the door to kitchen she could hear her mother talking to her brother. "I swear to god, Tucker. If you even think about doing something idiotic the day before your wedding." Her mother threatened. Claire stood there for a few moments. Her presence was still unknown. Her mother was the closest thing she had to a best friend besides Tucker. Her mother, Rebecca was the same height as she was and looked similar to Claire. They both had light, ashy brown hair. Of course, her mothers had grayed over the years but she never told her that. Claire's features were soft and feminine. Most people usually thought she was the sweet, shy, and innocent looking, that was until she spoke. A smirk crossed her face as her brother opened his mouth to respond. Then his blue eyes caught her green one.

"Look or here, if it isn't Claire, the long lost sister." 

"I would hardly going to Grad school and getting a job in North Carolina a 'long lost sister'" She explained. She stated with a roll of her eyes. Tucker got up off of the bar stool that he had been sitting on. He walked over to his younger sister and enveloped her into a tight bear hug. Claire rolled her eyes and tried her best to break free from the hug. When he didn't budge she whined. "Tucker, let me go." However that was a lost cause as well. She managed to get one of her arms free and when she did she pinched him hard on the forearm. He let go immediately. 

"What the hell, Claire?" He smacked her shoulder. 

"You wouldn't let go!" 

"I haven't seen you in a year, what the hell else would you want me to do?" He asked. Oh, well that would explain it. She didn't think of things in that term. She had been away from Waverly for two years and her brother had come out to Asheville last year to help her move from her apartment into her own home. 

"Well I haven't seen her in longer, come here baby girl." Her mother said in her usual caring voice before taking her daughter into a hug. As much as Claire hated to admit it. She kind of missed it here. She had been trying to convince her mother to move out to Asheville to be with her. Plus after Tucker and Ellie were married they were moving to Charlotte. This was something Claire was excited about. This left her mother in this large house by herself. After her father died, her mother was holding on to anything and everything she could of him. Claire couldn't stand seeing her mother like this and Tucker was stuck with most of it since he was still living in town. The siblings shared a look before their mother released her.

"Me and a couple of friends are going to Jersey's tonight for dinner. You should come along." 

"Eww no. I don't want to hang out with you and your lame friends." Claire stated jokingly. 

"You are not going to spend your week here locked inside this house." Her mother sided. Claire rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. Her mother did have a point. Claire was never the girl to have a lot of girl friends. She would much rather hang out with her brother and his friends. Sure she had a few friends on the Lacrosse team at her high school but they had all moved on or were still away at college. Claire got out at 21 because of all of the advanced classes she was taking. Other than Lacrosse, she wanted to be done with school as soon as possible. 

"What we're you planning on doing the day before your wedding?" She asked.

"Going mountain biking." Claire's eyes widened and a mischievous smile appeared on her face. 

"Nice!" She said. 

"Savannah Claire!" She heard her mother state. She winced. Claire hated it when most people called her by her first name. There was only one exception to this, besides her mother and brother who barely called her Savannah as it is. "You are just as worse as he is." She simply shrugged her shoulders. "You are going with him tonight."

"What? Mom, I am almost 24 years old and-"

"And you are going out with your brother tonight. You are not going to stay locked up in this house as long as I'm home. You need to get out."

"Mom I do get out." 

"Not here you didn't." Rebecca stated. Savannah became silent, her lips were tight as she held back her words. 

"Come on Sav, I'll help you get your things." He stated trying to avoid an argument. Her head nodded slightly and she followed her brother out of her home. Claire unlocked the trunk of her car which revealed her large suitcase and dress bag. Tucker grabbed her suitcase and she grabbed the dress bag. "You know you don't have to come tonight. She just wants grandkids and you know it." he stated causing a scrunched face laugh to come from Claire. 

"I know, i’ll go." She said hesitantly. She didn't know exactly who might be there tonight. But the feeling inside of her said that he would be. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Claire! Are you ready?" Tucker called from downstairs. Claire looked at herself in her long mirror that hung to the left of her closet in her room. She didn't know why she she was taking so long to get ready. She didn't need to dress up and go out in this town. It wasn't necessary. She had settled on blue jeans and a blue and white striped long sleeved shirt. Her mid back length hair was in the worn out curls that she had done early this morning. Without giving another thought to her appearance, she grabbed her brown purse and headed out of her room. She met her brother down at the bottom stairs. 

"Bye mom!" They both called before heading out of the home. She followed Tucker to his grey truck and got into the passenger seat Tucker started the engine and made a turn before heading out of the large dirt road driveway. 

"Is Ellie coming tonight?" Savannah asked. Her brother shrugged his shoulders. 

"I don't know. I told her about it and she said she would try to make it but her family is coming to town as well." She nodded her head. It was understandable. She would feel the same way when she was going to get married. She was slightly surprised when Ellie had asked her to be a bridesmaid, but she understand that after next Saturday they were going to be sisters. Thankfully, the two got along. When she was a freshman in high school, Ellie was a senior on the lacrosse team. "Are you ready for the big day?" 

Tucker nodded his head. "Yeah I am. I just wish dad could be here." She nodded her head, wishing that was true. She stayed silent for a few moments. "I didn't mean to bring it up. I just knew you would understand."

She nodded her head. "I do. It just sucks it happened when it did. I mean we can't change anything, just know that he will be with us." She said. Trying not to even open that can of worms. 

"What is new in North Carolina?" He asked, Claire shrugged her shoulders. Nothing was new in North Carolina. She was spending most of her time as a kindergarten teacher. Though she was the youngest one at her Elementary school, the teachers around her were kind and helpful to her in any way that she needed. She had just completed her first year as a teacher after spending much of her time last summer completing her teaching degree. She was thankful to have some time off after her busy past few years. Claire had to do something to keep herself busy. There was no other way. 

It didn't take them long to arrive at Jersey's. It was hands down the best food in Waverly. It was also where everyone went to hang out. Many memories she had here, including her first beer in public. Her brother and his friends brought her here to hang out with them and they had bought her one. It wasn't like she cared if they had or not, but it turned into a night she would never forget. Tucker placed the car into park and turned off the engine. He opened up the door and got out of the car and started walking towards the establishment. Claire did the same. She followed him into the bar and towards the table of friends that she recognized. As she had assumed, it was Jason, James and Clint. 

In that moment, several thoughts crossed her mind. The first one was to turn around and leave, but even though she extremely tempted she stayed in her place. As soon as they all saw her, smiles appeared on all faces but one. Jason and James both got up and gave her a welcoming hug before sitting back at their seats. What she didn't see was that Clint had gotten up as well. He placed his arms around her for a hug as well. But this time she didn't let go of him as quickly as the rest. It was a quarter of a second longer and no one noticed. But it gave her the moment to breathe in the scent that she had been missing for three years. 

The scent of feeling at home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thank you all for reading! I am sorry for the delay! I keep forgetting to post it on here which is my fault! I am also posting this story on FanFiction under the same name. But, I will try and be better about posting on here! Enjoy!

Chapter Two

It wasn't long after Claire let go of Clint that they were back sitting at the table. "So Claire, how is North Carolina treating you?" James asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Its fine. I love it there which is good. I've finally become adjusted to living in my house alone. I'm thinking of getting a cat." she told them. Tucker shook his head.

"No, there is no way you are getting a cat." He said to her.

"Why not? It would be nice to have an animal to come home too."

"Then get a dog. They have more personality." Jason stated before taking a sip of the beer that was in front of him.

"But so do cats." Clint stated finally breaking his silence. Claire glanced at him. Sure he had always been quiet but there was this side to him that said the first thing that came out of his mouth. Claire glanced at him.

"I'm convinced all cats are evil." James stated. Claire rolled her eyes. As if she asked them for their opinion anyways. The waitress came by and dropped off her and Tucker's beer. She took a sip before glancing at the all too familiar menu. As she had assumed, nothing had changed. Closing her menu, she already knew her order. It was what she had always gotten, a grilled cheese. She never ignored the child within her. Claire leaned back in her chair and smiled at the fact that this place was still live and kicking it. Not a seat was empty, and as usual it had its loud nature too it. The tv's in the room were turned to the popular sports that were on. A smile crossed her face, as the waitress came back and dropped off her and Tucker's beers.

"You glad to be home?" James asked her, her glance went towards him. He looked the same with his longer brown hair and brown eyes. Her head nodded slightly.

"Yeah, it's nice to be back here. Don't get my wrong, I love North Carolina, but there is something nice about being back here." She said, though her dread of being back was sitting directly across from her, she did her best to ignore it. Claire was home for her brothers wedding and then she wouldn't ever have to come back to the town of Waverly, Iowa. Well, as soon as she was able to get her mother to move out with her and her brother.

"We all took bets and we didn't think you would last a day on your own." Jason stated leaning back in his chair, his arms folded against his chest. She looked at him completely offended.

"Actually Clint thought you would." Tucker stated. She glanced at her brother.

"You didn't even think I would make it?" Claire asked and Tucker shook his head.

"You are such a dick!" She said before taking a sip of her beer.

The waitress came back and took their orders. As usual, they chucked when she ordered her usual grilled cheese. Some things would never change. She handed her menu off and sat back into her seat. She grabbed her beer and took a sip before placing it back onto the table. They spoke for a few more moments before Tucker, James and Jason decided that they needed a refill on their beers. They decided not to wait on the waitress to come back so they decided to head to the bar and get their own drinks. Claire knew exactly what this meant, she would be left alone with Clint for the first time since he left. Well, it would be the first time she had even spoke to him since then. She watched her brother and his other friends walk way, and she watched them go. Part of her didn't even want to look at him, but she couldn't help it. She glanced towards him.

"Savannah-" Clint started as soon as they were out of hearing range. She shook her head, looking down slightly.

"No. You don't get to call me that anymore. When I needed you the most you left, poof. You were gone just like that. I needed you, Clint and you just left."

"Like I was supposed to know that would happen. I got called back into work. It's not like I have a job where I can postpone my assignments." He argued.

"And what is it that you do? Cause that's a puzzle to all of us."

"I can't tell you that." He said with a sigh, Claire rolled her eyes. She should have known. When he had come back into town after being 'dismissed for a time' as he called it. He wouldn't tell her details about what he did. The only things she knew about were the places that he would go were the stories that he would tell. Every time she felt like a little child listening to him with such intent. She wished she could come with him, but he never told her why he was on leave, or what he did. "There was no way I could turn around."

"Oh and was your phone off too?" She asked.

"Savannah," He said with a sigh. Clint's voice had never raised through out their conversation.

"Savannah? Now that's something I haven't heard in a while." She heard Jason say.

"Yeah, and how come Clint gets to call you that and when I try it looks like death glares." James chimed in.

"Because i've always been calling her that. Since the day I met her." He explained, Savannah glanced at him. Her green eyes staring into his blue ones. It took all of her might to look away from him.

"It's true. I said this is my little sister Savannah Claire. From that moment he called her Savannah and she never argued." Tucker explained causing Savannah to pause a moment. To be honest, she never remembered why she never corrected him to call her Claire. At this point, it didn't matter anymore. Unfortunately, she still liked the way that her longer name rolled off his lips. God, she hated that she still had some feelings for him. She thought they were long gone, but seeing him brought back feelings that she must have hidden down deep within her. She didn't precisely know how she felt about this.

They reached that moment in the night when Claire realized that they had been there entirely too long. Since it had been her brother's week, she decided to let him over indulge with alcohol, maybe a little too much for liking, but since she had cut back she could enjoy the entertainment that would ensue. James and Jason had left the bar, their girlfriends had called them and asked them to come back. Savannah had tried to convince them to come to Jersey's but that failed. She had never met them and she thought it was a good time but apparently not. They had all said their goodbyes and she settled back into her seat. What escaped her brothers lips was something that she would have much rather gone without hearing. "Do you guys think i'm making the right decision?" Tucker asked. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Nope, not one bit." Clint said before Claire could even respond. Her glaze snapped towards him.

"And what makes you think you're the king of relationships?" Savannah snapped before she could stop herself. Clint became silent. She turned her attention from Clint to Tucker. "Tucker, you've been dating Ellie for over five years now. This is just the beer and the nerves talking. You are making the right decision."

"Or you're not, and its just one big giant mistake." Clint taunted.

"I swear to God I will get over there and slap you upside the head." She told him and his mouth shut for the time being. She turned back her attention to her brother. "Everyone gets a little cold feet every now and again, do you love Ellie?" She asked.

Tucker nodded his head before saying, "Yeah." But that was all that Claire needed.

"Then everything is fine! Stop stressing, its going to be a beautiful wedding and I didn't come all the way home for just a visit."

"Then why don't you go back to Asheville, Savannah?" He said and she froze. Asheville? How did he know that was where she was staying? She raised an eyebrow and her face scrunched into one of confusion. The only people who knew that were her mother and brother. Tucker said that he didn't tell anyone the direct location of where she was. Not like she cared, but what she did think about was that neither of them had mentioned saying it to Clint.

"How the hell did you know I was in Asheville?" She asked, his face became blank. He stood up and thrust his hands into his pocket. He got out his wallet and opened it up before he threw a fifty onto the table. Her green eyes watched the bill float to the table.

"See you Friday, Claire." He said harshly before turning and leaving the sports bar. Her heart sunk. She couldn't watch him leave, she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Her eyes were locked on bill that he had thrown onto the table.

"What was that about?"

"Oh I don't know, it was just Clint being Clint. Lets just head home, i'm exhausted and all I want to do is sleep." She stated, Tucker stood up and Claire held out her hands. With a sigh, he handed his keys to his sister. If there was one thing that Claire hated it was driving his truck. It made her feel obnoxiously short. She was only five foot one, but she didn't consider herself that short. She walked out of the bar and got into the truck before heading home.

The car ride was mostly silent from the bar to her home. She didn't want to say anything that could have led Tucker on about her and Clint's past relationship. He would say the occasional comment about how he had a great time at Jersey's and how he missed having his little sister in town. She nodded her head. She had truly missed family time.

As soon as they got back to the house, Claire went back into her room and laid down on her bed. She stared up at the white ceiling of her otherwise brown painted room. Her mind was racing over the night she had. Sure, she had to have known that Clint was going to be there. But, their words to each other had been less than ideal. This was something she shouldn't have been shocked about, there were some things that they obviously needed to get off their chest. Neither of them had been good at communicating with each other about certain things. Mostly about his job, but sometimes the topic of their relationship would cause them to just yell. What hurt her the most was when he called her Claire. Never in a million years had she imagined that. To him, she was and always would be Savannah, and she liked that.

She shook her head. Claire knew she could spend all night going on and on about what had happened that night but nothing would change it. She knew that she would have to keep on her best behavior Friday night during the rehearsal dinner. But she knew she want going to make any promises. There were a couple of things that she still needed to talk to him about, including how he knew that she was in Asheville. Even now, Clint Barton was still part of a mystery to her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Several days into her trip, Claire was ready to go home. She missed every aspect of Asheville and she couldn't wait to get out of this town and head home. Today, she was spending the entire day with her mother. They were going to get out of the house and go shopping, get pedicures. Most importantly, Claire was going to speak to her mother about leaving Waverly. It just made sense to her and her brother. She had tried to convince her brother to at least join them for lunch but he didn't budge. Tucker claimed that Ellie's cousins were in town and that he needed to meet them. She called bullshit and he flipped her off and that was the end of their loving conversation.

As Claire and her mother walked down the Main Street of Waverly, it reminded her of when she was younger, there were many days where the two found themselves wandering through the downtown area and shopping. Occasionally, they would make the journey to a bigger city to go to the mall, but for the most part Waverly had everything that they needed. Her and her mother spoke of what had been new in town, as usual her mother knew all of the town gossip. She always had and she always would. What Claire found most entertaining was the fact that her mother and her fellow gossipers never knew about her and Clint. They must have done a damn good job of hiding it. Claire would constantly worry about them being caught, not as if there was anything wrong with it. She just worried that it would ruin Tucker and his friendship, which she didn't want to do. Clint was the one who constantly told her to not panic and if she worried too much, to tell Tucker. That would snap her out of her panic.

"You're pretty quiet over there, Savannah." Her mother informed her, smoothing out the sides of the dress that she wore. She shook her head and looked at her mother who smiled. Claire gave her mother a smile and did her best to ignore her daze. So far they had gotten their pedicure, and now it was time to choose for a dress for her mother. When Claire had found out this tiny detail, she was in shock. Her mother simply argued that she wanted her opinion before purchasing the dress. Thankfully she had narrowed down the dress to two options. The one that he wore at the moment was a tighter dark grey lace dress that was tea length. Savannah scrunched her face to the side and shrugged her shoulders.

"I like it, but how comfortable will you be in that?" She stated, her mother turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. She knew that her mother loved the dress, but she didn't want her to purchase it if she was uncomfortable.

"And where did you learn to be so wise?" She asked, and walked over to her daughter before kissing her head. She turned and walked towards the dressing room to put on another dress. Claire glanced towards the rows of wedding dresses that were near her. She wanted to walk over and at least glance at them, but she knew she shouldn't. Claire knew that she wasn't getting married anytime soon so why would she torture herself by even looking at them. The next dress that her mother walked out in was a similar dark grey color. The top was the same lace from the other dress and the bottom flared out. Claire nodded her head.

"Now that is your dress." She said to her mother, "You're gonna look great." Rebecca nodded her head.

"I suppose you are right." She said, "This a perfect dress, and I'll just have to top it for your wedding." She informed her daughter who laughed. Claire truly did miss her mother, and she knew that she would have to talk to her sooner or later about moving to North Carolina with her and her brother. At the moment, Claire wasn't even sure if Tucker had told their mother about his and Ellie's move. Claire stood up from her seat and made her way towards the counter. It wasn't long until her mother joined her and paid for the dress. "Now that i've bought this nice dress lets go eat." She said and Claire nodded. They left the store and made their way towards her favorite restaurant.

The Waterside Grill was Claire's favorite place in town. It was on the river which she always loved to look at when they went out for family dinners. In addition, there were several places where you could get into the river and just float around for a while. Claire loved to kayak down the river on hot days in the summer. Upon arriving at Waterside Grill, they sat in their usual booth that overlooked the river, and more specifically Claire's favorite spot.

It was the spot where her and Clint had their first date.

\-------

Savannah sat in her bedroom reading her history textbook, her hands were twirling her long hair into two ringlets on either side of her head. Her eyes had been glancing over the same material that she had been for the past several hours. In wanting to be a teacher, she had to take several classes for early childhood development. She knew the material, but Savannah always panicked before a test. Glancing up at the white clock in her room, she knew that the time hadn't changed since the last time she looked up thirty seconds ago, it still read 11:30. Rolling her eyes, Savannah looked back towards her text book, before hearing a thud on the window of her bedroom. Her head shot up, there was no blood it couldn't have been a bird. Savannah went back to her reading before hearing another thud. Groaning, she got up off of her bed and walked over to the window just in enough time to hear a thud and see who was the cause of all of this.

She should have known it was Clint Barton.

Opening the window she shook her head."What in god's name are you doing?" She asked loud enough for him to hear her. He shrugged his shoulders in the dark lighting.

"Come down here." He asked her. She raised her eyebrows and saw him smirk ever so slightly. She shook her head before closing her window. Walking over to her closet, Savannah placed on a pair of grey tennis shoes and made her way out of her room. She was careful walking past her parent's room, even though she knew they had long been asleep. She walked down the stairs and walked out of her home, carefully shutting the door behind her. Clint stood at the end of the porch, his head nodding in the 'come here' motion. Savannah raised an eyebrow and walked towards him. He placed an arm around her and began walking away from the house.

"Where are we going, you know I always knew you were the serial murder type." She joked, though she could barely see him, she knew he was shaking his head.

"It must be the carny in me huh."

"I always knew the circus people were bad news. I mean anyone with clowns is bad news."

"They were some of the nicest people I met."

"That's a bullshit lie, Clinton." She spoke and a laugh escaped his lips.

"Yeah it is. They were a bunch of freaks, myself included." He spoke, she shook her head.

"You're not a freak." She said to him, but he ignored her comment, leading her towards his car.

"Get in, were going for a little ride." He told her, waking over to the passenger side of the car and holding the door open for her. She gave him a smile before getting into the car. He walked around to the other side and got in the car. Clint started the engine before driving off. She glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Now can you tell me where we are going?" Savannah asked and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Nope." She rolled her eyes and looked at the road ahead of her. The car became silent as they drove to the end of her street, he made a left turn which would lead them down to the downtown area. Clint reached over and grabbed her hand, lacing them together and giving her hand a squeeze. A smile appeared on her face. He drove to the far end of town and came to a stop near the river. He placed the car into park and glanced towards her. "Come on."

"Alright, now i'm convinced you're going to kill me for sure." She joked.

"Come on, Savannah." He informed her. She unbuckled herself from the seat and got out of the car, shutting the door behind her. As the wind blew past her, an involuntary shudder ran through her body. She knew that she should have grabbed a jacket before leaving her house. Clint walked over to her and placed his arms around her and led her to a bench under a tall lamp post. She sat down on the cool bench and he sat next to her. Savannah snuggled herself closer to him and he placed his arms around her pulling her legs to rest on his thighs. She placed her head on his shoulder.

Now this is something Savannah knew she could do forever, she felt more relaxed just being in his company. "Thank you, I needed this."

Clint nodded his head, "Of course, I hadn't heard from you in a while so I thought I would stop by." Savannah placed a kiss on the underside of his jaw. He smiled before reaching into his pocket. "I got you something, I was going to wait until after your test tomorrow but," His voice trailed off as he pulled out a long black velvet box, handing it to her. Savannah's face softened.

"Clint, you didn't have to get me anything." She spoke to him, he shook his head.

"I saw it and I thought you would like it." He explained, she opened the box that revealed the necklace. As she glanced at the arrow necklace she knew that the dim lighting was not doing it justice.

"Clint," She simply sighed and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Its beautiful, thank you." Savannah gathered the necklace and took it out to put it on. "Can you see enough to help?" She asked.

"I'm deaf, not blind." She rolled her eyes ad he let out a soft chuckle, helping her place the necklace on. As soon as the necklace was clasped on. She felt his rough hands running down her bare arms, she could feel a fire running through her. Savannah leaned closer to him and closed the gap that had once been between them. Her lips landed on his and his arms went to her back, pulling her closer to him.

\------

"Alright, Savannah Claire, you best tell me whats on your mind." Rebecca said looking over her menu at the spacing Claire. She shook her head to try and get out of the dazed memory that she was in. This time, she couldn't blame it on nothing, and her mother was giving her that hard look that always intimidated her. She knew that she was going to have to speak quickly, or she would chicken out once again.

"Well mom, you know that Tucker and Ellie aren't gonna stay here forever." She stumbled through her words and tried her best to phrase what she was trying to say. Claire knew that even she could not figure out an easier way to ask her mother what she needed too.

Claire needed a drink.

"Well, out with it." Her mom said.

"I think you should move to North Carolina with me." She blurted out before she could think twice.

"Are you pregnant?" Her mother asked, a dead serious look crossed her face. Claire's green eyes widened to several times their normal size.

"What? Mom, no!"

"Then i'm not coming." Her mother said with her all knowing attitude, Claire knew that this was the end of the conversation.

For now.


	4. Chapter 4

Today was the day just another day in Waverly that she had been dreading.

It was the day before her brothers wedding, which meant that it was the rehearsal dinner. It wasn't the dinner that she was worried about, it was the fact that she would have to see Clint again. They hadn't parted ways in the best way at the bar. Thankfully, she hadn't seen him since then. Clint never called her Claire, and it seemed too foreign coming from his lips, and it was something that she didn't want to experience again. She would rather him call her nothing than for him to call her Claire. If there was one thing that she had to do, it was to keep her mouth shut and do her best to ignore him. She knew that it might he damn near impossible, but she would do the best that she could.

That morning, Ellie sent out a text message to all of her bridesmaids asking them to wear a longer dress that was a pinkish color to the rehearsal dinner, she wanted them to look uniform even for the dinner. Claire groaned, thankfully one of the dresses that she had packed was a coral color. It have to do. She just hoped that when that time came for her wedding she wouldn't be wanting every little detail to be perfect, though she knew that she would. But who could blame her, it's the biggest day of any girls life.

Even to this day when Claire pictures walking down the isle, Clint is at the end waiting for her.

"Claire we gotta go!" Her mom yelled to her. After their lunch where Claire had asked her to move to North Carolina with her and Tucker, her mother had gotten angry with her for a few days. Since then, she had gotten over the fact that her children were going to be in the same state but not the same as her. Though she wouldn't admit it, Savannah knew that her mother was considering making the journey too.

As she glanced at herself in the mirror, she took a deep breath. Her hair was curled into long curls and her green eyes were highlighted by the ever so hint of eyeshadow. She was more of a natural make up look than putting on more than she should. Walking over to the chair that was in the corner of her room, she grabbed her white sweater and placed it over her shoulders before walking down the stairs of her home to her waiting other. Claire gave her a smile before walking over to the front door and opening it. "Well don't you look nice. You grew a few inches in those shoes." She stated, Claire shook her head at her mothers unique sense of humor.

"Thank you, so do you." She said to her mother who wore a shorter blue dress and tiny black heels which were much shorter than Claire's wedges. Now, she was an average height. Her mother walked through the door and out to her car. Claire shut the door behind her and walked to the car. As she began walking further towards the car, she knew that these wedges were probably going to be a mistake. She enjoyed wearing heels when the occasion called for it, but other than that she enjoyed flats and sandals.

Claire got into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt, before her mother drove off towards the outdoor location of the wedding. Tucker had left for Ellie's home earlier on in the day to calm her nerves, and to help her get last minute detail situated. When Tucker first told Claire that his and Ellie's wedding was going to outdoors on Ellie's farm, Claire thought he was insane. To this day, she wasn't sure how things were going to go. Tonight, things would be set up and it would give her a better look as to how things were going to go.

Claire already knew that her dream was to have her wedding at the Biltmore Estates in Asheville. However, it was extremely expensive and she knew she could never afford it. Some dreams were just meant to remain dreams. "I can't believe your brother is getting married tomorrow. I thought he would never settle down." Her mother stated and Claire nodded her head. She was right. Tucker had never been the type to settle down, well that was before he met Ellie. Even then Claire and her mother were skeptical about it, but in the end here they were, about to get married.

It didn't take the mother-daughter duo to get to Ellie's home. The farm home sat on the outskirts of the small town. Getting out of the car, Claire took a deep breath. What she needed to do was put the past behind her just for this weekend. The last thing that she wanted to do was to take away any of this day from him. But then again, she did know herself and how she became when Clint was around.

Claire walked with her mother towards the open front door. Rebecca had offered having the rehearsal dinner at her own home, but Ellie's parents insisted that they have it at their home. Her mother wasn't one to argue. As soon as Claire walked through the door, she was attacked by a blonde haired girl she knew was Ellie. "You're here!" She exclaimed wrapping her arms around Claire. Claire welcomed the embrace

"Of course! I'm in the wedding I would be stupid to not be here." She played it off as if it was nothing. After a few moments, she let go and took a step back. Of course, she was stunning in her short white dress and white heels. Claire gave her a smile.

"It's good to see you! Phone calls just don't do any justice." She stated. Claire nodded her head in agreement. She was thankful that her and her soon to be sister in law got along so well. "Grab something to drink and head and come hang out with me and the other girls." Ellie stated before floating off to visit with Rebecca. Claire shook her head. One of the things about Ellie that she enjoyed was the fact that when she had a significant amount of alcohol in her system, she floated and skipped around. Claire smiled and shook her head before heading over and grabbing herself a glass of champagne to drink. She took a sip of the bubbly drink before wandering the large home to find her brother. The layout of the home was similar to that of her own childhood home, however the rooms in general were quite larger.

Claire found Tucker and the rest of the groomsmen sitting in the living room. She walked over to him and gave him a light hip check. "We'll look who decided to join the party!" Tucker said and Claire shook her head.

"Yeah, yeah." She shrugged before waving to the rest of the groomsmen, including Clint. They all greeted her before she turned back to her brother. "Are you excited? It's finally almost here." She said. Tucker shrugged his shoulders.

"At this point I'm ready for it to be over."

"Why?"

"Cause the wedding planner is a pain in his ass." James said and Tucker nodded his head.

"Isn't it Ellie's aunt?" Claire asked taking a sip of her champagne.

"Yeah, the crazy one."

"Oh. Now that explains everything."

"Yeah. She forbade us from hanging out all together." Jason explained. Claire raised an eyebrow, and she thought she had issues, but this was absolutely insane.

"Yeah it might be wise for you to hang out in the proper section." Claire rolled her eyes at this insane idea.

"Someone is taking their job way too seriously."

"Oh I don't care. I'll be a rebel." She explained to him, glancing ever so slightly at Clint who was looking at her. She knew she needed to talk to him, not yell actually talk. Part of her knew that Clint knew how much he hurt her, but she needed to tell him. The yelling part would probably come but that was something she just wouldn't be able to help.

"There you are!" She heard Ellie's Aunt Krista state. Claire's eyes widened. The woman simply looked insane. Her hair was blonde and frizzed and curled out to a near lions mane around her face. Her blue eyes were the only seemingly normal looking thing about her.

"Save me." She spoke but it was too late. Aunt Krista had already grabbed Claire by the arm to link elbows and drag her away from her brother and friends.

"Now here we are!" She said as soon as she walked into the dining room. All of the other brides maids sat at the table chatting away with each other. Claire recognized most of them from when she was much younger. She took a seat at the end of the table and took a large sip of the champagne as Aunt Krista began to speak. "Now that all of the bridesmaids are together we can all go over the to-do's of the night." At that point, Claire stopped listening to the directions and quickly finished her drink. She didn't get what the stress was over walking down the isle. You walk and come to a stop at the end. It was as simple as that. "Come on! Let us go outside!" She said in her extremely fake voice. There were just some people who you wanted to punch just by looking at them, for Claire this woman was quickly growing on her list.

"Boys come along!" She yelled into the other room. Claire knew that she needed another glass of champagne, or the bottle. Either one would work at this point. She walked over to the bottle of champagne that was placed in the living room and poured herself another glass before heading to join the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen at the venue.

The place where the ceremony was going to take place was in the backyard of the home. This was on the opposite side of where the reception was going to take place in the field. From what Claire could tell, the wedding was going to be beautiful.

There was a long white flowered covered grassy area that led to a white gazebo. The gazebo was covered in white christmas lights and at the center of the gazebo was a crystal chandelier that hung down. The chairs that were used were all rustic wooden chairs that looked absolutely stunning

She had an idea of how beautiful a home could transfer into a perfect wedding location, and this was just stunning. Aunt Krista called all the brides maids over before numbering them and showing them how to properly walk down the isle. Claire was number four. "So how is Asheville?" Ellie asked in her perky voice.

"Its lovely. I can't wait to go back." Claire explained. Ellie nodded her head.

"We cant wait to come visit you. Its gonna be nice to have someone I know in North Carolina." Ellie explained. Claire nodded her head. It was true. It was going to be nice to have someone there with her, even if her mom decided not to come.

"Alright girls! It's time to walk." She stated. Claire was second to walk down as a bridesmaid. She couldn't help it. Even as she walked down, with her champagne glass acting as her flowers, her green eyes found Clint's blue ones. Taking a deep breath, she knew that she needed to talk to him.

The rest of the rehearsal went smoothly, Claire found herself wanting to have more champagne since every five seconds Aunt Krista opened her mouth. As they were being paired up to walk out, Savannah knew exactly who would be her partner, Clint. They both took steps forward to meet each other in the middle of the isle and he offered her his arm. Savannah gave him a smile before linking her arm through his. The two walked down the center isle, to her it was simply an idea of what could have been, hell there was still that part of her that wanted him. But she was still pissed at him and she needed to speak her mind. As they finished walking down the isle they came to a pause, their arms were still linked. "Clint." She started looking at him, but as soon as the words left her mouth. He was steps away from her.

"I need a drink." Was his only response.

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Savannah watched as Clint left the home and made his way to what she assumed was his car. Taking a deep breath, she moved from her sitting position and walking towards the front door. She set down her glass of champagne that she had been drinking all night. At this point in the night, Claire knew that she had just enough alcohol in her system for what she was about to do. She closed the door behind her softly before heading out onto the dirt road. "Clint," She said but he didn't even flinch."Clint!" She said louder. Once again nothing.

This time she stopped and removed one of her shoes before throwing it at him, the shoe hit him square in the back. This time he flinched and turned around. His face scrunched up and her eyes widened. Okay, maybe that wasn't the best decision. "What do you want, Savannah?" He said harshly.

"I need to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you I thought I made that pretty obvious, then you threw a shoe at my head!" He stated.

"It was at your shoulder!"

"Oh big difference." He scoffed. Savannah took a deep breath. "Just go inside, we aren't having this conversation, you're drunk." He said to her. Her eyes widened, she was not drunk and he damn well knew that. She had quite the tolerance for alcohol.

"Oh bullshit! I needed you Clint, and you disappeared for three years. My father died, I needed you and you were gone! Just like that!" She said to him. Clint's once angered glaze softened as her words sunk in. "I tried calling you for days and it just kept going straight to voicemail. Day after day. I needed you more than anyone else. Sure, I had my brother to lean on but Ellie was helping him get through all of that! Clint I needed you and you weren't there."

"I had to go back to work, Savannah. I can't just ask for another year off, I couldn't just say i'll come back in a few days, my job isn't like that! I was on probation then they needed me back." He explained.

"And you couldn't call?" She snapped.

"No I couldn't. As further punishment they took my personal phone. I had no way of contacting you or I would have."

"You could have come by! Don't you get weeks or weekends off?" She asked.

"It was three months later." He said to her and she stopped. "I did come by, but you weren't here. You were in -" He started but Savannah cut him off.

"Asheville."

"Your mom told me you were there. I went to visit and you seemed so happy. I didn't want to ruin your new live. I'm the king of fresh starts, I couldn't ruin yours." He told her. Tears began to begin forming in her eyes. "Sure, every now and again when I got the time off I would make my was to Asheville. I could never bring myself to ruin how happy you were."

"I would have been much happier with you." She told him, he nodded his head before leaning down and picking up the shoe that he threw at her. He brought it over to her and handed it to her.

"I didn't know that, but knowing that now,"

"Doesn't change anything." Savannah said taking her shoe and placing it back onto her foot, leveling out her height.

"I'm sorry Savannah. I just hope that one day you can forgive me. Everything was out of my control. When your mom told me what had happened to your father, I knew that I fucked up." Savannah nodded her head at his words. The tears began falling down her cheek silently. Clint took her face between his hands and gently wiped away the tears. "If there is something that I have learned in my job is that life is too short. I just hope you can forgive me." He said and Savannah already knew that she had.

"Friends?"

"Yeah." He stated.

"You get one more chance though"

"Is that so?" Clint asked.

"Yep." Savannah teased giving him a side smile accompanied with a slight nod. With the silence that overtook the conversation, she thought it was time for her to leave. She took a step, turning to head back to the house, however he caught he wrist and pulled her back to him, placing his lips fully on hers. Her green eyes widened significantly before closing due to the passion of the kiss. She hadn't been properly kissed since the last time she had been with Clint. Her hands were stuck in between his body and her own. If she had a choice she would never let this moment go. The area was quite, the only noise that could be heard were their gasping breaths when their lips were not attached.

"Just because I'm letting you kiss me doesn't mean that I completely forgive you." She informed him through her gasped breaths.

"Yeah it does." He said moving his lips to attack her neck. She involuntarily let out a moan as she felt his teeth nipping at her neck.

"Nope I'm just drunk, I have no idea what I'm talking about." Savannah stated as soon as her words were able to come back to her. He stopped leaving his mark on her neck to gently kiss her lips once more.

"I would believe you if I knew better."

"Barton! Have you seen Savannah? Mom wants to leave." The two of them broke apart slightly as soon as they heard Tucker yelling from the front porch of the home.

"Well, we lasted this long." Savannah muttered knowing that if her brother came any closer he would see her hiding behind him.

"No I haven't. I'll let her know if I see her." Clint stated looking down at her. Not bothering to look at his friend.

"Thanks." They heard Tucker turn and head back inside of the home.

"Your mom wants to leave."

"So I've heard"

"See you tomorrow?" Clint said, cupping her face in his hands. His rough thumb began stroking her cheek.

"Yeah, See you then." She said before parting ways.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and let me know what you think!


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